


The Game of Love

by thestanceyg



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, I Don't Even Know, Prompt Fill, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-04-19 13:50:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4748735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Darcy are soulmates, but everyone thinks they're father and daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let the Games Begin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stateofconstantconfusion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stateofconstantconfusion/gifts).



> I don't even know, you guys. I got the very simple prompt of Tony and Darcy being sassy with each other, and then I saw an AU prompt on tumblr about a couple going undercover as siblings and this sort of happened. This was going to be a one-shot, but I think it's going to end up around 4 chapters. Please forgive me for what I have done.

Darcy and Jane had been in Avengers tower for nearly three weeks when they finally met Tony Stark.  For the first week, Jane had sent worried glances anytime she thought she heard the door open, afraid Tony would come in and mess with her equipment.  (“It’s not pretty but it’s mine and it’s what I know,” she had said to Darcy.  Darcy had replied, “I wouldn’t even begin to know where to hit the new machines with wrenches to make them work properly.  It would be a nightmare.”)  Week two had brought them to the realization that they could get Jarvis to alert them to Tony entering the lab, and they could set up an alarm if he tried to mess with their machines.  (“I must advise you that this will probably only work once as Sir will change my programming in retaliation,” Jarvis had informed them.  “Got it,” Darcy said, pulling out a notebook and glitter gel pen, “Back-up plans it is.”) 

              Week three had come on the heels of Jane and Darcy completing “Back-up Plan L” in Darcy’s notebook.  They were discussing the pros and cons of trapping some wild raccoons to keep in the lab when the man himself strolled in after Jarvis’s short warning of, “Sir is coming.  Batten down the hatches, bishes,” just like Darcy had bribed him to.  (She wanted him to say “bitches,” but he had moral objections.  At the time, Darcy hadn’t slept in nearly 20 hours and wasn’t in the frame of mind to even contemplate that statement.)

              “Dr. Foster!” Tony said cheerily as he wandered in, “I’ve come to steal your intern for a few minutes.  I’ll have back in no time, and then we can discuss these garbage heaps you call scientific equipment.”

              Darcy and Jane looked at each other.  One of the lab rules they had written was that getting Stark out of the lab was always a priority, especially if it bought time for the other to prepare one of the plans.  And that is how Darcy Lewis found herself shrugging and following Tony Stark over to his lab without so much as an actual introduction.

              Once they were in the lab, Darcy sat on top of a lab table, waiting for Stark to explain himself.

              “So Bruce and Pepper are convinced you’re so much like me that you must be my daughter,” Tony said as he grabbed a kit from a drawer.  “So to prove them wrong, I need to sample your blood.”

              Darcy stared at him.  She had been preparing for this.  She had been positive that her soulmate must know the Avengers based on the names “Bruce” and “Pepper” being in her mark, but somehow she had never put it together that it would be Tony.  She realized that as she had sat in wonder, he had been preparing a blood draw kit.

              “Hold up there Dracula!” She said, taking on a defensive pose, “You come at me with that needle and I will tase your balls off, which would be a shame for both of us.”

              The kit dropped from Tony’s hand, needle bouncing on the floor.

              “Did you just…” he stammered.

              “Say your soulmark?  I think so.  Or, I hope so because who else in this tower do Bruce and Pepper think I might be the spawn of if I didn’t?  Oh shit!  Am I going to meet yet another set of people named Bruce and Pepper?!”

              “Show me,” he said, getting very serious.

              “Uhhhh,” Darcy said blushing, “it’s kind of in a private spot.  How ‘bout let’s start with you showing me yours.”

              “I’m pretty sure ours are in similar locations,” Stark said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

              “Is yours…”

              “Inside my thigh?  Yes,” he said, both finishing and answering her question.

              “We’re not going to be able to move forward with this conversation until you’ve seen the mark, will we?”

              “Nope,” he said, popping the “p” making at least one similarity pretty clear to Darcy.

              She unbuttoned her jeans and dropped them down to her knees so she could twist her leg open for him to see the mark.  She sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she had on clean underwear, and that she and Jane had not been scienceing so hard that they both had lost track of time and smelled like a bender.

              Tony ran his finger over her mark, and it felt like static electricity building beneath his fingers and dancing on her skin.

              “Yeah, that’s mine,” he said almost reverently. 

              Darcy pulled her pants back up.  "Your turn then, playboy.  Drop ‘em!”

              Tony made quick work of his pants, pulling up the hem of his Iron Man boxers so she could see her handwriting looping up into his pelvic bone.

              “Well I’m convinced,” she said.

              “So how do you want to go about this?  I mean, being my soulmate’s going to come with a lot of issues,” he said apologetically.

              A ridiculous idea sprung into Darcy’s mind.  “How much would you like to fuck with everyone here?  Perhaps a friendly wager, even?”

              “I’m listening,” he said with a wide smile.

              “Well, you said Bruce and Pepper thought I was your daughter,”

              “Yeah,” he said, encouraging her to go on.

              “Well, what if we told them I was?”

              “Not seeing where this is going Lewis.”

              “Hear me out,” she said, waving her hand to shush him.  “You make some declaration to them that they were right, and then the fun begins.  You and I can flirt, touch, seduce, whatever, all we want, but the person that makes everyone else wonder what the hell is going on with us loses.”

              “You would have them think that I’m hitting on my daughter?”

              “Well, ideally yes because that would mean you lose and I win.”

              “That is seriously disgusting.”

              “Sounds like you’re not up for it,” she countered.

              “Oh, I am.  I just wanted you to know that I think you’re completely depraved.”

              “I think you’ll find that this is why I am perfectly suited for you,” Darcy said with a wink.  “Now then, I believe it’s up to you to get this game started.”

              “Wait, what are the wagers?  What happens when I win?”

              “When?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.  “I think you mean when I win.  And I don’t know.  I was just thinking pride.  Do you have something better?”

              “I was thinking something along the lines of the winner will be granted a favor from the loser and the loser cannot bitch or complain, and must do the favor immediately and with complete sincerity.”

              “Ohhhh, you’re good,” Darcy agreed, holding out her hand.  “Shall we shake on it?”

              Tony grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down.  “You’re on, Lewis.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the games begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I upped the rating on this story. I'm not sure if it will earn that rating or not, but it might.

              Once Darcy had gone back to Jane, Tony went to Bruce’s lab.  Darcy had wanted to get started right away, and Tony didn’t see any reason to object (especially since she had looked so eager to get started).  Bruce was sitting at a table, his nose buried in papers.  Tony grabbed a chair and arranged himself in front of Bruce.

              “So I finally met Lewis,” he said conversationally, causing Bruce to look up.  “And I can see why you and Pep thought we might be related.”

              “I told you we weren’t making things up,” Bruce said.

              “No, you really weren’t,” Tony said, trying to make it sound like he was talking to himself.

              “Sounds like you have something to share,” Bruce said delicately.

              Tony ran his hand over his face.  “I mean, you weren’t wrong and you _weren’t wrong_ ,” Tony said, dancing around the “truth.”

              Bruce took in a breath.  “You mean she actually is…?”

              “Yes,” Tony said.

              “How’d she take that?” Bruce asked with sincere concern.

              “As well as could be expected,” Tony said before abruptly standing up.  “We’re going to keep it quiet for now,” he said, “being attached to Foster makes her life hard enough as it is, you know?”

              “Right.  Of course,” Bruce quickly agreed.

              “Anyway, thanks,” Tony said as he left the lab, pleased that he would later be able to tell Bruce that he never actually said she was his daughter.  He had said they were related, and being soulmates was a type of relation. 

              As soon as Tony was gone, Bruce pulled out his phone.

              **We were right** , he texted Pepper.

              **About what?** She replied

              **Tony and Darcy**

**Oh my God**

**He wants to keep it quiet for now.**

**Of course,** came Pepper’s quick reply.   **I won’t tell anyone.**

Back in Tony’s lab, he was texting Darcy.

              **I told Bruce.**

**Okay, but everyone needs to know for the game to be fun.**

**Got it covered.  He’ll tell Pepper.  Barton was in the vents, so he’ll know and tell Natasha.**

**That still leaves Steve and Thor** , she pointed out.

              **We can’t just tell everyone** , he replied.  **Let them find out from someone else so it feels like we really are keeping it secret.  Technically I only told Bruce.**

**Fair.  Game on then ;)**

Tony smiled at his phone, “Game on, indeed.”

***

              Darcy was in the kitchen making dinner to take back down to Jane in the lab when she felt a hand on her ass.  She whipped around to see a smug Tony behind her. 

              “That felt as nice as I imagined it would,” he said, smirking.

              Darcy’s eyes looked behind him, and noticed they were still alone.  She ran her hand over the front of his pants and said, “And that felt as disappointing as I thought it would.”

              “Ouch Lewis!” Tony said, dramatically grabbing his chest.  “That hurt.”

              “What’d you do now, Darce?” Clint said as he walked in.

              “Told Tony he was disappointing,” Darcy said.

              “Isn’t that a little harsh to say to your….da…boss?” Clint asked, stumbling over what to call Tony.

              Tony shot Darcy a look that said, “I told you so.”

              “Tony’s not the boss of me,” Darcy said as she hip checked Tony and turned back to the counter.  “Besides, he was in my way while I was trying to feed Jane.”

              “Oh, yeah, don’t do that, Tony,” Clint said seriously.  “Getting between Darcy and feeding Jane is a super bad idea.  I can hook you up with some agents that made that mistake.”

              “As punishment, I’m going to make you help me,” Darcy said to Tony, adding a saucy wink that Clint couldn’t see.

              “Oh?  And here I thought you were already punishing me.”

              “If you think my mere presence is punishment you’re in for a rude awakening.”

              “I’m getting that idea,” Tony said under his breath.

              “Uhhhh,” Clint said behind them.

              “Got a problem Barton?” Darcy asked.  “Or are you just thinking about when I punished you?”

              “You did what with Barton?!” Tony screeched.

              “I punished him,” she said innocently.  “He was bad.”

              “UGH,” Clint groaned.  “I’d really like to forget that ever happened.”

              “Why? Wasn’t it good for you?”

              “I think you’re the only one that enjoyed that, Darce.”

              “Yeah,” she said smiling, “I do find pleasure in punishing others.”

              “Ummm, Darce.  You wanna rethink what you just said?” Clint asked, turning red as he looked between Darcy and Tony.

              “Just because your mind is in the gutter doesn’t mean everyone’s is.  Now, Tony, grab that tray and follow me.”

              Darcy pushed Tony toward the elevator.  “I’ve seen you move faster than that on your way to a debriefing,” she said, swatting his ass when she decided he wasn’t moving fast enough.  As the elevator doors closed, she took a moment to enjoy the look on Clint’s face as he disappeared from view.

              “Now Tony,” Darcy said very seriously, “I’m going to need you to hold that tray very still and not drop anything.”

              “I’m not clumsy, Darcy.”

              “Oh, I know,” she said, “but now I’m going to punish you, and holding that tray still is part of that punishment.”

              “Umm, what?” Tony asked.

              “Jarvis?  Send the elevator at half speed please.”

              “Of course Miss Lewis.”

              “Wait!” Tony cried.

              “What?  Don’t think you can handle whatever I’m going to do?” Darcy teased.

              “You’re the worst.” Tony groaned.

              “That’s probably not what you’ll be saying by the time we get off this elevator,” she smiled, dropping down to her knees.  “Privacy protocols please, Jarvis.”

              “Privacy protocols enacted.”

              Darcy ran her hands over the front of Tony’s pants, dragging her fingers suggestively over his rapidly hardening length.  She gripped his thighs and gently pulled down his zipper with her teeth.

              “Darcy,” Tony breathed.

              “Hush,” she commanded.  “There isn’t that much time left before we arrive.”

              Her hands were back to teasing him through his pants, while opening the gap the undone zipper had created.  He could feel her warm breath through the thin material of his boxers.  Suddenly, her hands were no longer on him, and he was confused.  That confusion evaporated, though, when the doors of the elevator swung open.

              “Thanks for holding that while I tied my shoe,” she said sweetly while taking the tray from him.  “Oh hi Steve!” She said brightly as she stepped out.

              “Hey Darce,” Steve said smiling at her.  “Tony,” he said nodding.  Tony returned the nod, finding it a bit hard to find his voice.

              “See you later Stark,” she said as she walked off to Jane’s lab, hips swaying.

              “Tony, are you ready to discuss the improvements to my shield gauntlet, or am I too early?”

              Tony snapped out of his trance.  “Nope.  Now is good,” he said, finally stepping out of the elevator car.

              “Great,” Steve said, following him.  Once they were in the lab, Steve turned to him, and said, “Uhh, did you know your pants are unzipped?”

              “Son of a bitch!” Tony cursed, zipping up.  He would need to up his game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering, Darcy made Clint be her "noble stead" for an entire day. He had to give her piggy back rides everywhere and neigh on command.


	3. The Dirty Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tries to compete with Darcy. (Ties being the important point.)

Darcy had insisted on the Avengers having team dinners once a week, and Tony had plans to use that to his advantage.  Every Thursday, unless there was a call to assemble, Darcy spent the entire day in the kitchen cooking enough food for an entire team of super-sized appetites, and dinner was served at 6:30 sharp.  Being late meant that Darcy would find her revenge.  Thor had learned that when his access to Jane had been cut off for a week, and they knew she meant business when Steve ended up with dish duty for two months when he was late.  Originally Tony had wanted to make Darcy herself late, but that was next to impossible (and it was highly unlikely that anyone would be brave enough to punish her).  Instead, he decided to show up three hours early to “help cook.”

Darcy’s hair was pulled into a high, messy bun, and the kitchen was steamy as pots simmered and the oven baked.  She had on old yoga pants and a sports bra-her t-shirt discarded over a chair-and a frilly apron that Natasha had bought her.  Music was blaring (Tony had felt the pulse of the beat before he had entered the kitchen), and she was dancing and singing into a wooden spoon.  She stirred a pot of pink sauce, leaving the spoon on the counter, and arched her back into the side of the refrigerator, running her hands down her body as she sang along to the sexy lyrics.  Her eyes were closed, so Tony stepped closer, and leaned down to kiss her neck.

Darcy flailed and screamed, and managed to smack Tony a good one before she fell to the floor.

“Is everything okay?” Steve asked as he ran into the kitchen.  Jarvis lowered the music.

Tony held out his hand to Darcy to help her up.  “Just fine, Cap,” Tony said.

“Darcy?” Steve asked.

Tony rolled his eyes.

Darcy took Tony’s hand and purposefully pulled too hard to send him careening to the floor with her.  Her hand ended up “trapped” between them, cupping him.  She gave a little squeeze, and he knew this wasn’t an accident.

“I could use some help,” she called to Steve.

Steve came around the island.  By the time he got there, Tony had pushed himself up.  Darcy smiled as she took Steve’s hand as he guided her off the floor.

“Thanks Steve,” she said with a flirty smile and a wink.  “Now scoot!  Both of you!  I only have a few more hours to finish this up.”

Tony cleared his throat.  “Uh, actually I came up to help you.”

Both Steve and Darcy turned to him with genuine surprise.  Darcy threw a sunny smile at him.  “Okay!” She said enthusiastically, and then, a bit shyly, “I’ve been wanting to get to know you better since, you know,” she said.     

Steve looked between them.  “Since what?” he asked, confused.

_Oh she’s good,_ Tony thought.

“Since we found out about our connection,” Tony said, shrugging.  Then he turned to Darcy, “I thought we were trying to keep that quiet for now.”

“Sorry,” Darcy whispered, eyes darting between Tony and Steve, a very good imitation of innocence.  “Please forget I said that, Steve,” Darcy asked sweetly.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Steve said looking from Darcy to Tony.  “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thanks Steve,” Darcy said, pulling him into a hug and grabbing his ass.

Steve turned very red and cleared his throat.  “I’ll, uh, leave you two to it then,” he said before making a hasty retreat.

Once Steve was gone, Tony turned to Darcy.  “I am wounded that you would flirt with Steve in front of me.”

“Jealous?”  She taunted.

“Not really,” he said stepping closer to her, hands grazing her hips.  “I know you don’t mean it,” he said as his hands slid back up her curves and into her hair, undoing her completely wrecked bun.  His fingers threaded through her hair as his hot breath tickled her ear.  “At the end of the day,” he whispered, “you’re all mine.”

Darcy shivered a bit and then collected herself.  She tilted her head so her neck was open to him.  She looked at him sideways and then tapped a finger to his nose.  “I have a sauce to stir,” she said, turning away.  “You’re not going to distract me from having team dinner ready.”

Tony moved to grab a stool and place it behind her, taking a seat.  He moved the stool until he was directly behind her while she worked.  “No problem,” he said as he finger combed her hair.  “I didn’t intend to keep you from actually cooking.”  His fingers started separating her hair and braiding it.  Darcy relaxed back into his touch as she took care of her pots, adjusting heat and throwing in more spices. 

When he finished with her hair, he pushed the stool back.  She turned to him with a steaming spoon.  “Taste this,” she instructed.  “What’s it missing?”

Obediently he opened his mouth and tasted the sauce, rolling it on his tongue a bit as he identified all the flavors.  “More basil,” he declared.

Darcy leaned in, kissing him softly.  “Mmmm,” she nodded, pulling away, “you’re right.”  She turned back to the pot just as Bruce entered.

“Oh, uh, hi,” he said looking between Darcy and Tony.

“Hey Bruce,” Darcy said.  “I put all you tea stuff on the counter over there so you didn’t have to reach over my very full stove.”

Bruce walked over to where Darcy had indicated, nodding his head at Tony, silently asking Tony to join him.

“How are things going between you and Darcy?” Bruce asked as he went about making his tea.

“Fine for the moment,” Tony said.

Bruce nodded, turning to face Tony fully while his tea steeped.  “How’s she dealing with everything?”

“Surprisingly well,” Tony said.  “She accidentally told Steve and then swore him to secrecy.”

“I can understand her resistance to making it public information,” Bruce said, going quiet as Darcy danced their way.

“Are you two having a secret chat?” She chided.

“Nothing secret,” Tony said, “Bruce was just wondering how you were adjusting to, well, us.”

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Tony!” Darcy shrieked, “What happened to keeping it secret for now?!”

“I didn’t think that included Bruce!”

Bruce gently took Darcy’s hands and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Darcy huffed but nodded and turned back to deal with the oven timer that had just gone off.

Bruce looked at Tony.  “Why didn’t you tell her I knew?”

“I uh, don’t know?” Tony said, unable to come up with a lie since he _had_ told her.

“Tony, if you want this to work, you’re going to have to be honest with her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said, putting his back to the counter and looking at Darcy.

“Also, it might help if you didn’t show up with lipstick on your mouth,” Clint said, dropping from the ceiling vent.

Tony rubbed fingers over his mouth, pulling back to see them pink from her lipstick.

“Also,” Clint said as he snatched something from the stove, just moving out of the way of Darcy’s swatting hand, “it’s probably weird that it’s the same shade as hers.”

“OUT!  All of you!” Darcy yelled as Clint snatched another roll.

“You heard the lady,” Tony said shooing the others out.

“You too, Tony,” Darcy said emphatically.

“But!” He sputtered.

She wacked his ass with a wooden spoon.  “I said go!  Besides, now you have tomato basil alfredo sauce on your pants.  You should probably take care of that.”

Tony sighed and followed the others out.  Fine.  He would come up with a better plan for dinner.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Tony are found out. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you thought this story was abandoned! I was worried the writer's block would never break, and then, magically, last night I started writing again! This chapter isn't all that racy, but I have two more done and that last one is a lot racier than the past few have been, so hang in there!

Darcy smiled as everyone chatted over dinner.  It had taken several weeks, but everyone had finally become more relaxed and comfortable with each other over these dinners.  She listened as Clint told a story of a past mission when she felt a leg running along hers.  She knew who it was.  Tony was sitting right next to her.  A few people had given them a strange look, but word had spread, so no one said anything about the change from their normal seating arrangements.  She was determined not to let his movements get to her, so she pushed all her attention onto Clint and his increasingly ridiculous story.  Her focus was broken, however, when his hand landed on her thigh, lightly stroking it.  She wiggled a bit at the slightly ticklish stroking.

“Are you okay there, Darcy?” Steve asked.

“Just fine,” she answered, stilling Tony’s hand with her own under the table.  “Just a little itch.”  Steve’s eyes narrowed just a little, but he said nothing.  Tony flipped his hand so they were now palm to palm atop her thigh.

“So, Darcy,” Natasha said, “I heard the kitchen was a bit hectic today.”             

"No more so than normal,” Darcy said, extracting her hand from Tony’s.  “Why?  What did you hear?”

“Just that things seemed to be a little hands on today,” Natasha said.

Darcy’s eyes widened almost comically.  “Who told you about me grabbing Steve’s butt?  Was it Steve?  Because I was just living the American Dream and you can’t judge me for that.”

Steve blushed just a bit as he looked between Darcy and Tony, but Natasha stayed quiet, raising her eyebrows but not actually responding. 

“The real question,” Clint said through bites of mashed potatoes, “is whether all that excitement means no pie.”

Darcy laughed and reassured Clint that there would be pie.  The conversation shifted and moved away from what had happened in the kitchen earlier and on to other stories from the day.

Of course, Darcy should have known better than to hope that was the end of it.  As she was getting ready for bed, Natasha appeared out of a shadow, startling her.

“Jesus Nat!” She cried.  “You do realize that if you kill me by scaring me like that I won’t be able to try out any of those Russian recipes I’ve been finding to make for you.”

Natasha bowed her head a little in acknowledgment of Darcy’s statement.  “I know, but I’m not really even trying,” she said with a sly smile.

“I know that’s a slight against me, but I refuse to feel bad that I am not a superhero like the rest of you.”

“If you would just accept our offer to train you…”

“Nat, I’m a ‘normal,’” Darcy sighed.  “I’m never going to be as skilled as the rest of you, and I doubt anyone even knows who I am.”

“It won’t be that way for long,” Natasha said, sitting in the middle of the bed, patting the space in front of her.  Darcy narrowed her eyes at Natasha, but sat.  Natasha’s fingers began to card through Darcy’s wet hair, detangling before she would start to braid.  It had been a while since they had done this.

“What gives Nat?” Darcy asked, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of fingers in her hair.  “You haven’t done this since that bad mission.”

“I just thought you could use it.  Finding out your soulmate is Tony Stark must be stressful.”

Darcy whipped her head around to look at Natasha.  “How did you know?”

Natasha shrugged and said, “Clint.”

“Clint knows?”

Natasha laughed.  “No, but he told me enough to make it easy to figure out.”  Natasha paused to gently turn Darcy’s head again so she could go back to braiding her hair.  “But I am curious why you’re letting others believe the wrong thing.”

“I was scared,” Darcy admitted.  She waited for Natasha to say something to that, but the woman was silent.  “I should have figured it out sooner.  I mean, my words make it pretty obvious,” she said, hand resting on her inner thigh where her words were only partially hidden by her tiny shorts.  “I mean, he’s Tony Stark,” she added lamely.

“What about that scares you?” Natasha asked as her fingernails raked across Darcy’s scalp.

“A lot of things,” Darcy sighed.  “Initially it was just a fear that we were simply matched for my body.”

“You were worried he wouldn’t care about you for more than sex,” Natasha clarified.

“Yeah,” Darcy sighed.  “So that’s why I came up with our little deception.  It would make it harder for him to just use me right away, ya know?”

“So tell me exactly what your deception is,” Natasha said, finally starting the complicated braid.

“We spread the rumor that we’re family -father and daughter.  We can do whatever we like, but the first one to make the others question just what is happening between us loses.”

“And the prize?”

“A favor of the winner’s choosing, completed immediately, no complaining.”

Natasha simply hummed behind her. Darcy stayed quiet, certain that Natasha was thinking.  They sat like that for nearly fifteen minutes while Natasha finished the braid.  When she was done, Darcy turned to face her.

“What else worries you about this?”  Natasha asked.  When Darcy looked at her quizzically, she clarified.  “You said a lot of things scare you about being soulmates with Stark, but only mentioned the sex thing.”

“Well, there’s more to the sex thing,” Darcy admitted.  “I’m, uh, not as experienced as he is.  Not by a long shot.”

“Are you a virgin?” Natasha asked bluntly.

“No,” Darcy said, “but just barely not.  I’ve had sex once, in college, and it wasn’t very good and it didn’t last very long.”

Natasha tilted her head as she looked over Darcy.  “I think,” she said, “that Tony might actually be good for you in that regard.  According to most of the women he’s been with, he’s pretty generous in bed.  He would make sure to make it a good time for you.”

“You don’t think…” Darcy said before trailing off.

“Think what?” Natasha prodded.

“Think he won’t want someone inexperienced?”

“I don’t think that matters to him,” Natasha said, looking Darcy in the eye to make sure she saw that Natasha meant it.

“But I’m no one,” Darcy finally said, releasing her real fear.

Natasha snorted.  “No one?” She asked, incredulous.  “You’ve never been no one Darcy Lewis.  Even before you tased Thor you were someone.”

“Thanks Nat, but I’ve always been a sidekick, never the someone special.”

Natasha took Darcy’s hand in her own.  “You have always been someone,” Natasha repeated.  “All those people you think you were just a sidekick for never would have gotten anywhere without your help.  They would all be no one without you.”  Darcy tried to look away, but Natasha’s slim fingers turned her chin back to Natasha’s face.  “No hiding,” she chided.  “Jane would be absolutely lost without you.  Did you know that her Shield file is tagged with your file saying that separating you would be detrimental to the advancement of science?  Shield thinks you are an invaluable part of why Jane is successful.  She needs you like she needs air.  You might not do the science yourself, but your presence means it happens.”  Natasha looked at Darcy’s face. “I see you still don’t believe me.  Remember the foster father you stayed with that was an author?  You cured his writer’s block.  His book is dedicated to you and he wrote about you, at length, in his acknowledgements.”  Darcy stared at Natasha.  “Did you not know that?” Natasha asked.  Darcy nodded no.  “Well, you did.  I’m sure we can get you a copy of the book so you can see for yourself.  These are just two examples.  I can make you a list if I need to.  But be clear, you, Darcy, are important.  You are someone.  And Tony is lucky to have you.”  Natasha gracefully waited while Darcy wiped away the tears that had started to fall before softly kissing her cheeks.  Then she stood up and went to the small desk in Darcy’s bedroom, grabbing a notebook and pen.  “Now,” she said with a gleam in her eye, “let’s strategize just how you’re going to win this competition.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy takes a sick day, which worries Tony until she texts him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO LOVES YOU.
> 
> And the next chapter is SMUTTY. (Well, as smutty as I can write...you'll have to decide if that's smutty a all.)

Tony was sitting in his workshop, concerned about Darcy.  She had disappeared pretty quickly after dinner last night, and her room had been engaged in privacy protocols well into the early hours of the morning.  When he had stopped by Jane’s lab to check on her this morning, he was informed that she had called in sick.  When he went to go to her room, Jarvis informed him that she had a strict “no visitors” policy in place.  Normally he would have overridden this, but he didn’t want to upset her.

That thought made him pause.  He had never been overly concerned with whether or not he upset people before.  He didn’t necessarily set out to upset people, but it was never much of a consideration.  It was such an interesting concept, that he didn’t hear Bruce enter.

“Tony?” Bruce called, startling Tony out of his thoughts.

“Huh?” Tony said.

Bruce waved his tablet in front of Tony.  “We were going to discuss improvements to the biomechanics of your suit,” he reminded.

“Oh!  Yeah!”  Tony said, moving over to the worktable and throwing the schematics up on the display.

“You okay there?”  Bruce asked, watching Tony get things set up.

“Yeah, sure.  Fine.  Just fine.”  Bruce gave him an unimpressed look.  “Darcy just called in sick,” he said shrugging.

“It’s okay to be worried about her,” Bruce said, clapping a hand on Tony’s shoulder.  “But she didn’t look too sick last night, so I’m sure it’s nothing major.  She’s probably just tired.  She works much harder than most of us realize,” Bruce said as he looked down at his tablet, finding his own files to add to the display.  “You should be proud of her.”

Tony wasn’t sure just what to say, but was saved from responding by his phone blaring “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.  He frowned, unsure who changed his ring tone.  “Jarvis?”  He asked.

“It appears you have received a text from Miss Lewis, sir.  Would you like me to read it to you?”

“Sure J.”

“It says ‘Which do you like more?’”

“Like more?  What does that mean?”

His phone started singing again.

“She has sent you a picture.  Shall I display it?”

Tony, without thinking, said yes.  A picture of her breasts in a scarlet lacey bra that barely covered anything appeared in front of them.  Bruce looked up and had a coughing fit when he saw the picture.  Tony turned bright red.  Then, before Tony could stop him, Jarvis put up another picture, this time the bra was a strappy gold leather piece that covered more but definitely felt racier.  “Get rid of those!” Tony cried, hands splaying over the images as though he could hide them from Bruce.  The images quickly disappeared, much to Tony’s relief.

“Were those…,” Bruce started to say before closing his mouth and thinking.

“We are going to pretend we didn’t see those,” Tony said, face still flushed, though no longer from embarrassment.  He hoped Bruce couldn’t tell that, though.

“Tony, you need to reply to her.  She clearly meant to send those to someone else.  She’s going to be mortified that they came to you, but you can’t just ignore it.”

“I think you’ll find that I can, Bruce,” Tony said, suddenly wondering how hard it would be to get Bruce out of the lab so he could spend some time really examining those pictures.

His phone started singing again.  “Shall I read you Miss Lewis’s new text, sir?”  Jarvis asked.

“NO!”  Tony nearly yelled.  “No,” he said again.  “It’s fine.  I’ll take care of it,” he said.  He looked over at Bruce.  “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, grabbing his phone and heading to the elevator, “I think I have something to deal with.”

Bruce just nodded and headed for the door back to his lab.  Once Tony was in the elevator, he asked Jarvis to take him to the penthouse.  As the elevator moved, he pulled up Darcy’s new message.

**I can’t decide which to wear under my new dress tonight.**

Instead of responding, he called just as the elevator doors opened.

“Hello?” She answered, a little out of breath.

“Did you already own both of those?” He asked with a smirk.  “Because you might have given away you already wanted some of this before we even met.”

She laughed.  “No, I bought them this morning, just for you.”

“This morning?” He asked.  “But Jane said you were sick.”

“Aww, you checked on me.  That’s so sweet.  But really, what was I supposed to tell her?  That I needed to go shopping for some underwear my soulmate might enjoy?”

“Will enjoy,” he corrected.

“Will enjoy once he picks one,” she said.

“But I like both,” he whined.

“And I bought both,” she said calmly.  “But I can’t wear both at the same time.”

“You pick,” he said decisively.  “And I’ll spend the night trying to figure out which it is.”

“Think you can do that in front of everyone without giving us away?” She asked.

“Why would everyone be there?” He wondered.

Darcy sighed.  “Did you forget that we’re doing karaoke tonight to celebrate Clint’s birthday even though it was last month?”

He _had_ forgotten.  “I’m not concerned about that,” he said.  “Besides, I could come down right now and try to figure it out if you’re worried.”

“No,” she said.  “I want it to be a challenge.  If you come down here now, it won’t be much of a challenge.”

It might have been his imagination, but he would swear her voice had gotten a bit huskier as she finished her sentence.

“You seem to like challenges,” he said, licking his lips a little.

“So do you,” she shot back.

“Touché,” he laughed.  “Interested in a little challenge right now?”

“Sure,” she drawled, “but just so you know, I love winning.” 

“Honey, no matter who wins, we both win with this wager.”

“I’m listening,” she said.

“Well, since you won’t let me come see you, I thought we could see who has the dirtier mouth.”

“I’m pretty sure I can out swear a sailor, Stark.”

“Not what I meant,” he said.  “I was thinking more along the lines of who can get the other off first with just their words.  I promise to be a very happy loser if you win."

She paused long enough that he started to worry that he had pushed her too far when she said, “All right.  I’m in.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some dirty talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....I don't write a lot of smut. I hope this is acceptable!

Darcy had awakened early when Natasha had lured her from bed with the tantalizing smells of strong coffee.   Natasha had wasted no time dragging her out to make some purchases that would help put their plan on motion.  She had waved a shiny black credit card at Darcy when she asked how to pay for it all.  “Stark will,” the redhead had shrugged and that was the end of that.

Once she was back in her apartment, she had asked Jarvis where Tony was, and cackled when she learned Bruce was with him when she sent the pictures.  She could only guess what excuse he had given Bruce when he saw what she had sent.  When Tony had suggested the phone sex contest, she had paused.  She and Natasha had discussed it as a possibility, but she wasn’t confident in her abilities to pull it off.  Oh, she had done it before, but with her high school boyfriend when they had gone to different colleges.  He had never been terribly eloquent, and it was usually over just as she was getting started.  Her competitive streak, though, had insisted she give it a try because she could never turn down a dare and hated to lose.  So now she was sitting up against her headboard in her underwear and a tank top, wondering just how to begin.  She needn’t have worried, though.  Tony was eager to start.

“Which of those pretty little bras are you wearing right now?” He asked.

“Neither,” she said.  “I was about to take a long hot bath when you called.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” he said.  “I’m sure I can think of some things I wouldn’t mind doing to you in the tub.”

“I wouldn’t want you to drown,” she quipped.

“Is that what you like, Darce?” He wondered.  “Do you want me to slide down your body until my head is between your thighs?”

“Eventually,” she conceded, “but why start there?  There’s no build up; no excitement.  If you’re in a rush, you’ll never win with me.”  She had tried to make it sound challenging, but past boyfriends had been annoyed that she wasn’t ready to go at the drop of a hat, and she really didn’t want to disappoint Tony.

“Okay Lewis.  We can take this slow, but I’m going to need you to set the pace then.”  He said it firmly but casually, making her believe that he really was fine with them taking their time.  Her shoulders relaxed, and she realized just how tense she had been over how he would respond.

“Are you still in your lab?” She asked.  She wasn’t planning on using anything lab related in her teasing but she wanted to have the right mental image.  “I like to know what I have to work with.”

“Uh, no,” he said.  “Your pictures made it kind of impossible to do any sort of work.”

This pleased her more than she wished to admit.  She knew she had a “body built for sin,” but he had been with so many women that she wasn’t sure her goods would do much for him.  “I’ll keep that in mind for later when I need you to stop working,” she said with a smirk.

“It’ll be very effective,” he readily agreed.  She could practically hear him nodding his head.

“So you’re in your penthouse then?  Probably still wearing an oil stained band t-shirt and loose jeans.  Though maybe not as loose as they were this morning?”

“This is no fair,” he pouted.  “You know so much about me but I know almost nothing about you.”

“Then learn,” she said simply.  “Because I am absolutely going to take every advantage I can.”  She knew she would need to.  She doubted that her college sexual fumbling could compete with his vast knowledge bank.  She’d have to take what she could to help level the playing field.

“I’d like it if you were taking advantage right now,” he murmured.

“And I’d like to get that shirt off you,” she countered.  “I know you work out, and I’ve been dying to get a look.”

“Why didn’t you ask sooner?” He said.  Then she heard some rustling before he added, “I aim to please.”

“Oh, is that what you’ve been trying to do?”

“I’m getting a lot more sass from you than sex.”

“That’s only because my mouth isn’t busy, and I can still form a coherent thought,” she taunted.

“I’d really like to change that,” he said earnestly.  “Tell me what you’re wearing.”

“A white cotton tank top with little blue stars and navy blue boy shorts with pale yellow constellations.”  They had been a gift from Jane.

“Do the shorts cover my words?” He asked, a tiny hitch in his breath.  Maybe his words were a turn-on she could exploit.

“Just a little of them,” she said, looking down and running her fingers over the spikey handwriting.

“I’m going to start there,” he said, “because I’ve been thinking about how I’d like to kiss those words.”  Oh yeah.  She’d totally have to exploit his fixation with the words.

Darcy slid down a bit and relaxed against the pillows as she continued to lightly trace his words.  “I’m fairly ticklish,” she admitted, thinking about the time she accidentally kicked a guy going down on her when he touched her just right to cause the automatic reaction to the tickle.  “So I would probably only let you do that a little before I tugged on your hair to pull you up to my face.”  She imagined his face peering up from between her thighs looking smug and confident before giving in to her re-direction and slinking up to her face, movements like a panther toying with her.  The thought sent a shiver of desire through her.

“I won’t stay there long.  Exploring your body with my mouth sounds like too much fun.  I’d start under your jaw line, nipping up at your ear before I start to slowly suck a trail down your neck to your collarbone.  I want everyone to know you’re mine and exactly the path I’ve traced on your body in perfect rosy bruises.”  She shuddered at his words, shocked by his need to stake such a public claim.  “Once I’m at your collarbone, which I fully intend to bite, my hands will wander up your hips to your breasts which are, frankly, a thing of beauty” he continued almost reverently.

Darcy felt a warm buzz starting to build under her skin as he spoke, making her all too aware of her clothing.  “I can show you, if you like,” she said.  “I wouldn’t mind if you had some more skin to explore.”  The thought of his mouth exploring her breasts made her wet with anticipation.

“And I want to,” he said, “but not yet.  You said slow, so we’re going to take it slow.  As much as I can’t wait to see what’s under that scrap of cotton, I won’t rush this simply because now you’re getting antsy.  There’s still plenty of…what was the word you used?  …Excitement before we get there.”

“Now who’s more sass than sex?”  Darcy let out an annoyed huff.  “That’s fine but I distinctly remember asking you to take your shirt off earlier, so don’t be surprised when I take advantage of that.  In fact,” she said, remembering this was a contest and considering her options, “I’d like to flip us so I can straddle you and return the favor.  You sounded a little possessive a moment ago, so you shouldn’t be surprised that I am too.  You’ve been with a lot of women,” Darcy said before she could stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth, “but I want everyone to know you’re mine and mine only.”  She waited for a response, concerned he wasn’t interested in being hers only, even if they _were_ soulmates.

“God yes, Darce” he murmured.  “Only you.”  It came out like a prayer and she believed him.

She thought about running her hands over his chest, exploring her bounty from the fates.  “I need to make sure you’re going to be firm and sturdy when I’m riding you later,” she purred, trying to incite a reaction.

Tony growled at her words.  “Damn Lewis,” he gasped, “I can’t wait to watch you on top of me, tits bouncing, while you rise and sink on my cock.  God Darce,” he moaned, “I’m so fucking hard just thinking about it.”  His sentences were punctuated with little pauses as he panted at the thought.

“Are you touching yourself Tony?  Because I’d like to hear about that.”  And she really did.  For all his playboy ways, Darcy knew very few intimate details about him, always feeling it was an intrusion he laughed off as a defense mechanism.  She wondered if he was thick and long; if he liked a firm grip.  She wanted him to teach her what he liked.

“I’ve been trying to hold off, but I don’t think I can any longer,” he said sounding almost apologetic.

“Let’s see you out of those pants then,” she said as her own hand slid down to her moist panties.  “I wonder how much smaller my hands are than yours,” she went on.  “How much of you they can hold” she continued.  “I’m sure they’re softer than yours.  I don’t work with mine as much as you do; plus, I moisturize.”  Suddenly the thought of his calloused, rough fingers on her came to mind, and she let out a soft, low moan.

Tony growled what must have been her name and then said, “I want to feel your hands on me Darce.  I can,” his breath stuttered for a moment, “I can imagine it, but I want.  Need. You.”  His voice sounded full of want, but it felt much deeper than the desire she had heard in other men’s voices.  It sounded raw, made her words burn, and a wanting heat build between her legs.

“Need me to what Tony?” She asked, her own voice a bit breathless as her fingers stroked her through the now soaked cotton.  She paused as she realized his end had gone quiet.  The pause was long and felt empty, like a space spreading between them.  It made her uneasy.  When the silence has lasted nearly a minute, she asked, “Tony?”

“Need _you_ , Darcy,” he said from her bedroom door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhmmmm...gateway to another racy chapter?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is in Darcy's room, so let the good times roll!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I wanted it to, but hopefully you'll like it!

His eyes locked on to the pretty sight she made.  She was flushed and her hair was wild around her head on the pillow.  One hand rested on top of her underwear, the other up at her breast.  His mouth went dry as he took in the stiff peaks of her nipples pressing against the thin material of her tank top.  His eyes flicked to her face.  She looked surprised but not upset.

“I…,” he said stammering a little while trying to figure out how to explain himself.  “I, um, couldn’t stay away” he said licking his lips.  “I’ve never felt a draw like this before.  With anyone.”  His eyes went to her mouth as she bit her lip considering his words.  “I’ve wanted to get off before,” he said, “but this is different.  I felt compelled to come to you.  Like if we didn’t do it together, I shouldn’t do it at all.”  He stayed in the doorway, afraid of her answer; worried she might find this oddly romantic at a moment that wasn’t supposed to be.

She sat up and looked him over.  His skin felt like fire under her gaze. He held his breath as she stood up and wordlessly walked to him.  She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek before playfully nipping at his ear and taking his hand to lead him back to her bed.  When they reached the edge of the bed, she pushed at his chest and he allowed himself to fall back on the bed.  She deftly undid the button to his jeans (which he had not removed like she had suggested), and her hands hooked under the waistband.  He lifted his hips so she could slide them off.  She stayed on her knees in front of him once the pants were removed, hands bracketing his thighs as she toyed with the elastic of his boxers. 

He swallowed thickly and sat up on his elbows, his own hands covering hers to still them.  “You don’t have to do anything Darce,” he whispered.

“I want to,” she said, not looking up “but I’m afraid I won’t be good enough for you.”

He sat up the rest of the way and wondered who had critiqued her and made her feel like whatever she had done wasn’t good enough.  He slid off the bed landing with his knees outside hers on the ground.  His hands cupped her face and gently tilted until she was looking at him.  “You will be you, and that will be perfect” he said, softly kissing her.  He started to pull away, but Darcy’s hands twined themselves around his neck and pulled him into a fierce, deep kiss.  It was wild and needy, and his body loved it, bucking up against her trying to make more contact between their skin.  His hands roamed all over her back trying to both reassure and press her closer.  One hand tangled into her hair as he felt the need to touch all of her.

Darcy began to slow down before biting his lower lip and pulling away to look at him.  Her eyes betrayed that she was still unsure.  His hands rested on her hips as he started to speak.  “Obviously you’ve been with people that put their own wants first, that have been upset with anything less than instant satisfaction.  Those boys are selfish dicks that we can plot suitable revenge for later.  Good sex Is always a give and take that should end in mutual satisfaction, and I promise we will practice until you feel completely content and confident in your own abilities.”

She gave him a small smile but didn’t say anything.  Instead she rested her head on his chest, and his hands slid up her back to pull her close.  They just sat there for a moment.  He refused to pull away first, and waited until she eventually pulled back and stood.  He let his hands trace down her body, ending at her thighs.  His words were face level, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing a line of kisses on them.  She squirmed a bit.

“I actually wasn’t kidding about being ticklish,” she said.

“I can tell,” he said, taking his hands off her thighs and standing.  “I wonder where else you’re ticklish,” he added, his hands already moving toward her.

Darcy yelped and jumped away from him, quickly moving around the bed.  It was a poor tactical choice as she was now further from the door and essentially cornered.  He advanced on her and she leapt to the bed where he fell on top of her, hands finding all the soft spaces that made her laugh and wiggle.  He only stopped once she was breathless.  As her breathing began to slow and her giggles subsided, he brushed her hair from her face and dipped his head to kiss her sweetly.  She replied in kind, shimmying until they were more firmly situated; him atop her hips, his hardening length pressed between them.  He sat up and looked down at her, pink with desire.  His hands cupped her still covered breasts thumbs circling her nipples teasing them back to stiff peaks.  “Is this okay?”  asked in a hoarse whisper.  She nodded, but it wasn’t enough.  “I want to hear you say it” he said.

“Yes,” she said voice breathy.  “Please,” she asked, “more.”

His hands set to work, alternating rolling her nipples between his thumb and finger and gently kneading her breasts enjoying the fullness of them.  Her hips rolled a bit under him, and he bent over, mouth hovering over the cotton stretched tight across her chest.  “May I?” He asked, hot breath warming her skin.  As soon as she whispered “yes,” his mouth went over her breast, mouthing her through the fabric, gently biting and sucking in turn.  He saw her skin become flush and heard her breathing become uneven as she slowly rocked under him.  Her hands ran through and tugged at his hair before scratching lines down his back.  He groaned into this, his mouth leaving her breast as he ground his hips down into her.  Her hands drifted down to his ass and grabbed as she arched into him, exposing the clear expanse of her neck.  He wanted, no needed, to mark her, and his mouth crashed into the hollow of her collarbone sucking a mark there, making it clear she was his.

As he pulled away with a soft pop to examine his handiwork, Darcy’s hands came up to his shoulders.  “I want to be on top,” she said as more of question than a statement.  He mentally promised to spend the rest of his life making sure she was happy in bed and felt confident there to make up for the poor selfish jerks that had come before him.

He hooked his hand under her waist and effortlessly rolled them so she was on top.  She let out a soft laugh before she became preoccupied with his chest and began dragging her nails over it.  Her fingers traced lines over his many scars, and she dipped her head to kiss her way along each one.  No one had treated his scars with such loving reverence before.  Each kiss was like a whispered promise, and for the first time in his life, Tony Stark understood how sex as an act of love could be much more powerful and heady than anything he had experienced before.  Darcy languidly sat up and Tony’s hands went to her hips to steady her.  She bit her lip and looked down at him, and he wondered what she was thinking.  Then, she crossed her hands at her waist and pulled off her shirt, shaking her hair out in that way that drove him wild.  He ran his hands up her sides, careful to use to use a firm touch so as not to tickle her.  “You’re damn beautiful,” he murmured as she pressed down on him, kissing him slowly and sensually.  He enjoyed the feel of her skin pressed to his as he let her set the pace.  Eventually her mouth sought to return the favor he had bestowed earlier, and she sucked a mark onto his neck, and then another and another and another until there was a small cluster of marks declaring that he was hers.

She slid down his body leaving a trail of kisses until she was straddling his knees.  Her hands went to the waist of his boxers where her kisses had stopped.  “May I?” She asked looking up at him through a veil of hair, her mouth close enough to his skin that he could feel her small breaths.

“Do you want to?” He countered making sure this was what she wanted and not what she felt she had to do next.

“Yes,” she said, voice barely a whisper.

“Then please” he said, voice matching hers.

Her hands parted the fly and released his hard cock from its confines.  Her hands were just as soft as he thought they would be as they gripped his firm length.

“Tell me what you like,” she said, causing him to take his eyes off her hands wrapped around him to see her mischievous eyes.  He was thrilled to see the return of her saucy attitude.

“I don’t know, Lewis” he said wiggling his eyebrows, “are you sure you’re ready for whatever freaky things I’m into?”

Her hand pumped up and down on his dick causing him to groan and lean back.  “Not so cocky now, are we?” She asked.

“I think you’ll find I’m plenty cocky right now,” he said, eyes closed.  “The proof is in your hands, and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t stop.  Unless you want to.  You can stop if you want to,” he said, concerned about pressuring her.

“What if,” she said drawing out the words and slowing down the motion of her hand, “I stopped to do this?” She asked, slowly taking just the tip of his erection into her mouth.  Tony whimpered and Darcy took more of him into her mouth, slowly working up and down his rigid length.  Tony allowed himself to enjoy her ministrations, making sure to be very vocal partially because he couldn’t help it, and partially because he needed her to know that what she was doing was amazing.  However, he could feel an orgasm building, and he wasn’t ready to come yet.  He needed to make sure she was satisfied first. 

“Darce” he said, “this is fucking amazing but I don’t want to the show to end before it actually gets started.”  He paused while she pulled off of him with a wet pop.  His hand went to her ass and then started to slide around between her legs.  “Can I touch you here?” He asked when his fingers stopped, resting just over her wet entrance.

She nodded her assent and again he asked “I like it when you tell me.” 

“Yes” she said, “please touch me.  I’ve been imagining what it would like to have your hardworking hands on me-in me-so please, please touch me.”

God he loved it when she told him just what she wanted.  It was such a turn on.  He felt the effect of her words coiling deep in his groin and tried to focus before he ruined everything.  Instead he slowly circled his finger over her soft cotton underwear, teasing just a bit as she started to squirm a bit against him. 

“You’re such a tease,” she whined.

“I thought you wanted us to take out time,” he said.

“You’ve already taken more time than anyone else.  You win,” she said into his chest as he slid his fingers under the cotton barrier.  “Please, yes, that.  Keep going with that idea,” she moaned.

His fingers traced her soft folds, one fingertip teasing in to feel the warmth and wetness of her. Before flicking back out and up to her clit where he gently started circling, gauging her response.  When she started to grind into him, he smiled and moved his fingers back into her to start working in earnest while his thumb continued to work the nerve-filed nub. 

“God yes,” she moaned into him.  “So good.  I knew those fingers had to be some kind of damn magic.”

As he moved his fingers in and out, he took note of which things really seemed to make her moan and sigh.  As he learned what her body craved, he focused on repeating those things until she was grinding into him, desperately trying to get more.  “Tell me what you want Darcy, and I’ll give it to you,” he whispered in her ear.

“Need you in me,” she panted.

“I already am,” he said, even though it was a smartass thing to say.

“Don’t be a dick Tony,” she ground out even as he tried to make it hard for her to speak.

“Then what do you want?” He asked innocently.

“God dammit,” she nearly yelled, “get a condom and then get your dick inside me or so help me god I will do something so terrible to you that you won’t be able to come for months.”

“Is that even possible?” He wondered.

“TONY!”

“Right!  Condom!  On it!” He said, pulling his fingers from her and searching for his pants on the floor.  He found them, rammed his hand into the pocket and pulled out the foil square.  As he rolled the condom on, he turned to her.  “Are you sure this is what you want Darcy?  We can stop, or I can make you come some other way.”

“Would you shut up and get over here already?”

“Demanding little minx,” he said, but dutifully made his way back to her on the bed.

“You love it,” she said, spreading her legs for him to situate himself between.

He lined himself up with her plush opening, slowly sliding in.

“Fuck yes,” she sighed once he was fully seated inside her.  “You feel so good in me.”  He leaned down to take a nipple in his mouth, not yet moving inside her.  He smirked as he bit just a touch and she bucked up into him.

“How do you like it Darce?  Slow?”

“If you don’t fuck me into this mattress I am going to lose my mind,” she said.

That was enough for him.  He pulled back and thrust into her, still not going fast, even though that’s what she had said she wanted.  He remembered how she had acted earlier, and he thought that this might be her saying what she thought he wanted to hear.  However, he couldn’t take it slowly for long.  She felt too good wrapped around him.  He was craving the friction that would lead to both of their releases.  He started thrusting in earnest, both of them speaking filthy nothings and then babble, and then just shuddering moans as she came and then he came a few moments later.

Tony slid out of Darcy and walked over to the bathroom to clean up a bit before flopping back down on the bed next to her.  They both laid there silent for several moments.

“Was that?”  Tony started to ask and then stopped.

“Was what what?”

“Did you have an okay time?” He asked, wincing a bit at how high school that sounded.  (He guessed.  He didn’t exactly have a normal high school experience.)

Darcy rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hand.  “That was an amazing time,” she said smiling up at him.

“So we could do that again?”

She laughed.  “Yes, I think doing that again would be a fine idea.”

Tony kissed her forehead and allowed himself to think about what this meant.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to keep playing their game.  He wasn’t sure he could hide this anymore.  He shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts.  This soulmate stuff was really messing with his mind.  He wasn’t sure that he cared.

“Sir?” Jarvis asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yeah J?”

“Miss Potts has asked me to tell you that everyone is leaving in one hour for the party tonight and that you better get moving so you’re not late.”

“Shit!” He heard Darcy curse as she sat straight up.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“One hour isn’t a lot of time to get ready!” She said, frantically grabbing some things and moving toward the bathroom door.  She deposited everything into the room, and then came back and kissed Tony quickly but sweetly.  “You need to go or I’ll never be ready on time!”

“Is that so?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“GO,” she commanded, pushing him toward the door.

“All right, all right,” he laughed, moving toward the door.  “I’ll see you in an hour.”

She waved her hand and then disappeared into the bathroom.  Tony paused at the door to the hallway and placed his head against its cold, hard surface.  He was in so much trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for everyone to learn the truth.

Darcy closed the bathroom door and sighed.  That had been way more intense than she had anticipated.  The phone sex she felt she had been handling fairly well.  Her past experiences tended to be her giving blow jobs and getting nothing in return (and those assholes never got another date), so she had read plenty of smut to help fuel her alone time.  Phone sex was basically just telling a dirty story out loud.  She had a vivid imagination, she could do that.  She thought she had been doing a bang up job. 

And then he had come to her.  Darcy adjusted the water temperature on the shower while her thoughts traveled back to Tony in her doorway.  She had been nervous about letting him in.  She knew that if she let him in, things were going to be different by the end.  Up until that moment they hadn’t been truly alone with one another.  There had been a few stolen kisses in an alcove before someone came by, or some light groping in the elevator, but she wasn’t going to be able to run from this.  But when she had looked at him standing there, and then he had said those words about it not being right without them being together, something inside her melted and her fears washed away.

Only to come storming back at the most inconvenient time, she thought, scrubbing her hair furiously.  But then Tony had been nothing but kind and courteous.  He kept checking on her to make sure she wanted what they were doing.  And she had no doubt he would have stopped if she had said no.  And holy shit was it hot when he asked her to tell him to keep going.  He had treated her better in the bedroom than some guys had over dinner.  She washed the soap suds off and turned off the shower.  She realized she was so fucking far gone that she wasn’t sure that she could handle going out tonight without blowing their game.  Though, owing Tony a favor might not be entirely bad she thought with a smirk.

Darcy looked in the mirror and let her fingers trace over the mark Tony had left on her.  Her eyes flicked to her make-up bag.  She wouldn’t cover it up, she decided.  She wasn’t sure she could have anyway.

***

“Darcy!” Clint yelled when she stepped out of the elevator.  “We’re still on for a duet tonight, right?” He asked, pulling her into his side.

“Of course,” she said with a smile.  “But you lost that bet last week, so it has to be High School Musical.”

“But it’s my birthday,” Clint whined.  “Besides, that’s torture for you too.”

Darcy shook her head.  “Causing you pain is like my own torture antidote.”

“Stark!” Clint yelled as he strode out of the elevator.  “Contain your girl!”

Everyone froze at the words.  Clint, for his part looked shocked at himself for having outed their relationship while the others looked mildly embarrassed.  Darcy looked to Tony, eyes wide.  Tony, for his part, only stumbled for a moment before striding over to the group.  He placed a kiss on Darcy’s hair.  “That’s my girl” he said just as Natasha smacked Clint across the head.  “I don’t know what you did, but keep up the good work of annoying Birdie here.”

Natasha’s smack knocked Clint out of his horror induced stupor.  “I am so sorry,” he said looking between Darcy and Tony.

“How did you even know?” Darcy asked wondering if he _knew_ knew or just thought he knew.

Clint scratched the back of his neck.  “Uhhh, I was in the vents when Tony told Bruce.”

“And I think this is a conversation better had in the privacy of our transportation,” Tony said, guiding everyone over to the large limo that Happy was standing next to.  No one spoke again until they were all situated in the limo.

“And just what did you hear Tony say to Bruce?” Darcy asked, trying to decide if she was going to spill or let this keep going.

“He told Bruce that, uh, you two were related.”

“Wait what?” Jane asked before looking over at Darcy.  “There’s no way,” she said decisively. 

“It’s kind of hard to misinterpret the word related,” Bruce said gently.

“Tony,” Jane said, moving her calculating eyes onto the man, “did you use the word ‘related’?”

Tony gave a small gleeful smile.  “No,” he said, “Bruce used it.  I said I could understand why someone might think that.”

“But I asked if you were related, and you said yes,” Bruce said frowning.

“And what did you take that to mean?” Jane asked.

“Clearly I thought they were related when he said they were.”

“But we assumed a father/daughter relationship,” Pepper said, realization dawning on her.

“Because that’s what we were talking about,” Bruce pouted.

“No,” Tony said, “that’s what you were talking about.  I just agreed that we were related.”

“And if the hickeys on both of them are any indication,” Jane said, causing Darcy to blush, “then that relationship isn’t what you think it is.”

“That explains a lot about the kitchen the other night,” Steve said under his breath, though loud enough that most of them still heard.

Jane looked around the limo triumphantly while Tony asked, “But why didn’t you jump to the same conclusion as everyone else?”

“Because I know Darcy,” Jane shrugged.  “If you were her father, she would have told me immediately so we could exploit your guilt over abandoning her for all those years.”

Tony looked at Darcy who shrugged.  “It would have to be quick and immediate exploitation,” she said.  “Eventually the guilt would wear off.  We’d have to act while we could.”  Tony made an affronted sound.

“But soulmate exploitation means we can exploit long term,” Jane said, giving Darcy a high five while Tony acted betrayed.

“I am both terrified and turned on,” Clint said as he looked between the women.

“But why did you let us think it was father daughter?”  Bruce asked.  “You knew full well that’s what we thought you meant.”

 “Because you were all so caught up in that being what it had to be?  Because it was fun?  Because I enjoy lying when it doesn’t hurt anything?”  Tony said shrugging.

“Because this was about us, not about you, so we decided to have some fun with your expectations?”  Darcy added.

“Well, I for one am happy for the two of you,” Pepper said, smoothing over any lingering discomfort.  “And I am also glad we are here because after this limo ride I think most of us could use a drink.”

Everyone made sounds of agreement and exited the limo.  Before she could get out, though, Tony grabbed Darcy by the wrist and pulled her to him.  “Are we okay?” He asked, watching her face.  “Ae you okay with them knowing the truth?” He clarified.

Darcy kissed him on the cheek and started to pull away to get out.  “Very okay,” she said.  She offered her hand to help him out and whispered in his ear.  “Now, I think you still need to guess which bra I chose to wear tonight.”

Tony smirked.  They were going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone that stuck this out. This was one of the most difficult stories for me to write, but I'm happy I finished it and didn't abandon it. All your kind words and support really helped. I'm already prepared to start my next thing, so maybe I'll see you over there.


End file.
